The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-15
MORE VALUABLE WITNESSES
BY REV, J. W. HANSON, ID. d.
Glasgow, Scotland

Those who testify to the Larger
Hope" are far more numerous than we
are apt to think. In addition TO the
great number in 1.-The Cloud of Wit
nesses," l have recently met these
General Gordon.
This great British soldier, who died
in the midst of career that promised
to place him high on the role of the
great captains of world, wrote Moth
ing can be more abject and miserable
than the usual conceptions Of God. x
Imagine to yourself what pleasure
woald itsbet to Him to burr Us, OF to tor.
ture us. Can we believe any human
being capable of creating us for such a
purpose Would it show his power f?
Why, He is omnipotent. Would it show
his justice He is righteous, no one
will deny it.
1--WE credit God with attributes which
are utterly hateful to the meanest of
men. Looking at our darkness of Wis
ion, how can He be what we credit him
with ? quite wonder at the long time
it has taken to see that the general doc
trine of the Church is so erroneous.
When one thinks of the millions on
whom weighs this yoke of bondage, one
wonders.
Il do not know one single person who
says this straight out. When one thinks
Of the real agony one has gone through
in consequence of false teaching, it
makes human nature angry with the
teachers who have added to the bitter
ness of life
Florence Nightingale.
Even more explicit than the words
quoted in the Witnesses are these
lis it not a simple impertinenee for
preachers and schOol-masters, literally
er cdthedrd, to be always inculcating
what they call the commands Of God :;
and often representing him as worse
than a devil? Alas for mankind
might easily answer, : l cannot love be-
cause | am ordered least of all can |
love One who seems only to make me
miserable here, to torture me hereafter.
Show me that He is loYable, and shall
love Him without being told But does
any preacher show us this He may
say that God is Love, but he shows
Him to be Hate, worse than any hate Of
man. AS the Persian poet says: If
God Furnishes me for doing evil, how
is He better than L? And it is hard
to answer; for certainly the worst man
would hardly torture his enemy, if he
could, torerer. All good men would
save others if they could"
Queen Victoria.
1t is well known that the good queen
has delighted in the utterances of Nor
man Macleod, Stopford Brooke, King
sley and Denison Maurice, all Universal
lists. This, from her More Leaves" will
explain her choice: "Balmoral, Sunday,
Nov. 5, ISL He Norman Macleod)
gave us beautiful sermon, the text
from st. Mathew vi, 9, Oar father,
who art in heaven, and he preached
upon the great importance, as well as
comfort, of our looking on God as a
Father, and not as a judge or magis-
trate, to use a hOmely phrase.
"BaImOral, Sunday, May 26, ls72. -
After luncheon saw good Dr. Macleod,
who was very depressed, and looking
very i'll, aud willingly sat down at my
request. He talked much of fu-
ture life, and his certainty of there be-
ing Il continuation there of Gods educa-
tional purposes, which had commenced
in this world and would work on to-
ward the final triumph Of good over
evil, and the extinction of sin"
Bishop Ewing
This great man, beloved 10y Erskine.
of Linlathen, and other eminent Scotch